Hello Natbite

how are you? Just read your post.  My mum is in a similar position to you

hope you are safe and well

lots of love and best wishes ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Hi 

Thank you for your kind message. 

I can say after 5 weeks of daily Radiotherapy and 5 weeks of weekly Chemo my first scan showed the Cancer has gone!   I am due for my next check up Monday. 

It was very scary at first, the not knowing for myself how I was going to react to the treatement and how your body will cope with it. 

My mother had Cancer 12 years ago and was gravely ill, the treatement since then has come along massively, for an example back then it  was like one treatement fits all but now it is tailored specifically as to which cancer you have. I had stage 3C 2b, so it was in my lymph nodes too and left much longer it could have been a very different story.   However,  I am "Cancer Free" at the moment  and there is no reason why I will not stay that way. 

The Maggie Centre in the hospital was fabulous for patients and family, as of Covid I was very alone but I could still go there and talk to people and have free counselling or just a chat. They helped with all the forms I had to fill out as I could not works for a while and continue to now.  I remebrer the first day I walked in there I burst into tears when asked if I was ok, and stayed there then for two hours chatting.  They are qualified people so I do recomend them.  

Please do not suffer in silence, people can forget how hard it is for the families of the people with Cancer too and the support they need.  

If I can help you in any way, if nothing else then to keep you motivated that there is a light at the end of the tunnel adn I am living proof of that. 

Love and best wishes to you also XX

Dearest Natbite

Thank you so so much for responding.  I'm crying tears of happiness for you.  Such, such good news and wishing you tons and tons of continued good health ️ ️ ️

my mum had a hysterectomy about 4 years ago but it's come back in the pelvic lymph nodes and the para ortic lymph node as well. Thankfully it hasn't spread any further.  Mum is being treated at a London hospital and she said they are fabulous.  She's had 2 sessions of chemo so far... 4 more to go and she's also on an immunotherapy trial.. so I've got huge amounts of respect for the hospital my mum is being treated at... they seem to be throwing everything at it   

if you don't mind me asking ...did you have the nasty cells in your lymph nodes and para ortic lymph nodes? 

your reply has made by day and given me hope

sending you lots and lots of love ️ ♥️ Xx

Good morning Hope 

Yes I did have the nasties in my lymph nodes, pelvic nodes and para aortic nodes, as well as the cervical cancer. 

They, as you say, threw everything but the kitchen sink at it.  I felt fine, almost nornal for a long while then started to feel exhausted and week and food tasted funny so I became a chocaholic as chocolate still tasted of chocalate, and choccie buscuits and also had home made smoothies of berries, mango and papaya with Manuka honey.  I was told they have high antioxident qualities so I thought can not hurt. 

  By the time I was around halfway through treatment my tumer had shrunk from 7 x 4 inches tangerine size, to the size of a strawbery and only few nodes were still enlarged, so I knew it was all working.  Like your mum I think I was very lucky it hadnt spread further, but instead of dwelling on what could have been a stage 4 prognosis have to be positive about the positives and it sounds like there are lots of positives with your mum, she has you for a start!!  XXX

Thank you so much Natbite and for your kind words

i can't tell you how much your posts have helped us.  My mum is also being treated at a London hospital who have been absolutely brilliant.   Can't really put into words how brilliant they have been.   She has her first scan on 12th may.  I'm desperate to see progress and I think she is really really hoping the same and may be rather deflated if there is very little change.   

the scan will be after 3 sessions of chemo (so mid way) and I've already said to mum that even if the scan doesn't show much progress.... it's still early days! 

I will try and keep you posted .

Natbite - thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Your posts have uplifted us and given us so much hope

sending you tons of love and best wishes x ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Hi Hope 

The nurses at the Cancer hospital are amaizing people, always sunny and happy and easy to talk to about things. 

I was told when my scans where due mid way not to expect much change as there will be alot of inflamation there also due to the treatment but in fact it had reduced by half and the weakness, or tiredness was due to our amaizing bodies fighting this enemy with all its might so feeling rubbish for once was a good thing, that occasinaly needs lots of chocolate to feel better :-)

 I put fake tan on my face & a bit of concealer and blusher & coloured lip salve so I did not look ill, that was as I did not want to see a Cancer stricken face when I looked in the mirror, I wanted to look like me still. Thing is I did still look like me but I could only see the Cancer in my face, that probably was not even there. 

What stage is your mums diagnonsis,if you dont mind me asking?  I thought as I had Stage 3C 2B that stage 4 was next so I had a slim change of survival, I was very wrong.  I was told stages 1-3 are very close and stage 4 is miles away from stage 3, she said write STAGE 4  on a piece of paper, screw it up in a ball and throw it away as it was not my reality or even close.

There is more than hope, there is the reality that cancer is not a life centence it is do able, treatable and cureable.  Just got to wade through the mud a bit to get there.  

Love to you and your mum and tell her how strong and beautiful she is everyday  XXXXX

Hello Natbite

So glad to read another lovely uplifting post from you ♥️♥️
 

My mum has stage 3c but it's a recurrence after a hysterectomy she had about 4 years ago for endometrial cancer.The scans show it is back the pelvic lymph nodes and para ortic lymph nodes but thankfully not any further

As a family we are upset mum is in this position but are very grateful it's been caught before it spread any further ... 

thank you for the info on the scan... that's really useful    
 

you are absolutely right ... the staff are second to none.  The fuss they make over each patient is amazing xx

lots of love and best wishes ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Hello Natbite

So glad to read another lovely uplifting post from you ♥️♥️
 

My mum has stage 3c but it's a recurrence after a hysterectomy she had about 4 years ago for endometrial cancer.The scans show it is back the pelvic lymph nodes and para ortic lymph nodes but thankfully not any further

As a family we are upset mum is in this position but are very grateful it's been caught before it spread any further ... 

thank you for the info on the scan... that's really useful    
 

you are absolutely right ... the staff are second to none.  The fuss they make over each patient is amazing xx

lots of love and best wishes ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Hi Hope 

I am just checking in to see how you and your mum are.

Natalie Xx

Hello Natbite

Lovely to hear from you xxx

mum had her third round of chemo last week and is doing well.  She had her bloods done as well ( last week) which showed her tumour markers coming down so that is a positive
 

she has her first scan on 12th May.  Not sure if they give out the results on the same day or if she has to wait but we are all quite nervous- trying not to show it to mum....

natbite - hope you don't mind me asking.. did the chemo clear the nasty buggers out of your lymph nodes completely?   Also, are you having any ongoing treatment? I ask because my mums on a clinical trial abs the plan is to keep her in the trial drug when chemo finishes.....

im ok as well.  Have a wobble some days but never show it to mum xxxx

Hi Hope 

Happy Friday and nice to hear from you.

It all sounds very positive, the bloods being good are very important as otherwise the Chemo can not continue so that is very positive. X

Regarding the scan they usualy take about 24 hours as they have to send to your mums consultant to look at first so the people who do the scans give nothing away, can be a tense time but there sounds like there is no reason for it not to be a good result.

Yes all the nasty little buggers were zapped to high heaven and what is left, if any of my lymph nodes are Cancer free, I will say though after my mid Chemo scan, like your mum is having on the 12th there were still cancerous nodes there and my tumour had shrunk by half so showed the treatement was working even though was still there at that time. 

Do you mind me asking if mum is having bracytherapy after?  I can send you a friend request if you prefer to talk about it privately, just let me know how you feel. 

It maybe worth asking what benefit there will/could be from the trials after treatement has finished and what they are looking to achieve from it. 

I only have treatement for nerve damage in my leg, it is a bit like sciatica from the Radiotherapy, it is not perminante and feels better all the time but other than that I do not have any other treatement. 

I am glad you are ok but you do need to make sure you look after yourself and your well being too as you are just as important.  XXX

Thank you Natbite

so pleased the nasty buggers zapped up and sent away for good ♥️
 

just double checked with my sister.  Mum had brachytherapy when she had her hysterectomy about 3/4 years ago so I understand she can't have it again x

Yes please would love to accept a friend request from you x

with regard to the clinical trial mums receiving an immunotherapy drug and the plan is that the 6 cycles should kill the nasty buggers off or reduce them drastically and then mum continues with the immunotherapy drug indefinitely....   she will have to go to hospital every three weeks to receive the drug... it's a trial drug so I think they observe quite closely and probably continue with it as long as your body copes with it and it does its job...

im trying to stay positive but I have to admit I do have days when I break down... have two young children so have to stay strong for them too... plus they keep me very busy so I guess that is a good thing... xxxx

lots of love Natbite xxx ♥️♥️♥️♥️ Xxxx